Legal profession needs to address concerns about mental health of lawyers, work-life balance, bias against women: Justice Dipankar Datta

Legal profession in India needs to address concerns about mental health of lawyers, work-life balance and prejudice against women lawyers, Supreme Court judge Justice Dipankar Datta said on Sunday..There is a need to provide proper work schedule and leaves for lawyers and the Bar Council of India (BCI) should address these issues, he said."We as the stakeholders need to provide appropriate support for work-life balance. It will include proper working schedules and leaves. The profession demands mental health of advocates be addressed. I think the BCI need to address the same," he said.For ensuring the sustainability of the legal profession, there is a need to make it more inclusive and provide equal opportunities to women, he said."We as legal professional need to introspect within and be inspired to bring about necessary changes to undo the long standing prejudices against our daughters. To make the profession inclusive, we the judges, advocates etc. should endeavor to leave this profession for our future generations in a better shape and more representative than what we found in our times," he stated.The judge said providing equal opportunity is not just a moral imperative but a legal one as well. "Historically, the profession has been exclusionary for people from diverse groups - a legacy carried on from colonial days. Equal opportunity in building a sustainable legal profession is thus a legal necessity. There is a need to actively shape in while striving to ensure a better future," the judge said. The judge was speaking at the Bar Council of India's International Lawyers Conference on the topic 'Equal Opportunities for Building a Sustainable Legal Profession: Way Forward'. .In his speech, Justice Datta pointed out several "positive opportunities" which he said should not be let go so that the profession can be more sustainable."The first opportunity, I think is inclusivity. Despite colonial continuities in many of our institutions, the courts have opened up many possibilities for common people to pursue and defend their rights and also resist the very laws that were instrumental in the injustice meted out to them," the judge said. Further, the judge referred to the recent passing of the Women Reservation Bill by the parliament."It is a watershed moment in the history of our nation. It is a step forward in unchaining the long tied shackles of gender discrimination and injustice. We as legal professional need to introspect within and be inspired to bring about necessary changes to undo the long standing prejudices against our daughters. To make the profession inclusive, we the judges, advocates etc should endeavor to leave this profession for our future generations in a better shape and more representative than what we found in our times," Justice Datta underlined. Further, the judge said the other issue is "bias" which he said is prevalent in the profession."Bias I think is within the profession. Even the Supreme Court has released a handbook for combating gender stereotypes. It helps to fight stereotypes and prejudices that we may carry with us," Justice Datta pointed out..The judge also emphasised on the need to promote outreach programs to encourage underrepresented groups to pursue law career."Before concluding, I cannot but lament but there is an increasing trend of commercialisation of the legal profession. The BCI is mandated to perform various functions with a view to maintain standards of the profession. I hope BCI will strive to ensure the ethical standards of the profession not lowered. Let us be architects of sustainable legal profession," the judge observed. .Another speaker at the event, Justice Anita Sumanth of the Madras High Court, said the need of hour is not inclusion of women but to provide a conducive work environment for them"What is needed is parity on work and all fronts. Effective and quick redressal whenever necessary. Better and safe work environment. The sky is the limit and all that is required is a will and a creative mind for the same," the judge pointed out. Delhi High Court's Justice Rekha Palli too shared her thoughts on the issue of making legal profession sustainable. She said that the system will collapse if women aren't made part of the profession, whether it be as judges or as senior advocates."As far as sustainability is concerned, Senior Advocates need to pay their juniors well. They take ₹5 lakh per appearance but they aren't ready to pay their juniors. They must understand half of what they do in court is possible only because of the juniors who burn the midnight oil and are there in the office working till late night hours," Justice Palli said. Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of Calcutta High Court highlighted how the children of two of her house helps who wished to become teacher and computer professional, ended up taking jobs at Zomato and as part-time labour. "We are glad to see the Women Reservation Bill. But inequality is also about any person, who is disadvantaged on any count be it race, education, affordability to pay fees or own house. Inequality happens at every level of our society. Somebody thinks he is born on the wrong side of the privilege. As a community or society we are only focused on celebrities and their success stories. But for every success story there are thousands and lakhs of people who couldn't pay their fees. Because of the accident of being born in a poor family," the judge emphasised. .Also present at the event were Justices Hrishikesh Roy, CT Ravikumar and Senior Advocates Manindra Acharya and Ashutosh Kumbhakoni.